Perception and display of folk activities in cultural space – a case study of a Dong ethnic wedding ceremony in Chengyang Eight Village, China

This study takes the Chengyang Eight Villages as a case to examine how Dong ethnic weddings construct place identity through a spatial–symbolic system. Based on the event tracking of three complete wedding ceremonies during the 2024 Spring Festival, this research adopts participant observation, spatial behaviour mapping, and semi-structured interviews, followed by thematic analysis and methodological triangulation. The results show that the wedding ceremonies activate a series of threshold nodes such as family courtyards, village paths, communal wells, and the drum tower square through the repetitive encoding of objects, actions, soundscapes, and crowds. This process generates three cultural cores: identity and belonging, collaboration and cohesion, and blessings and celebration. These cultural cores contribute to the sedimentation and reproduction of place identity across its four dimensions: distinctiveness, continuity, self-esteem, and self-efficacy. Theoretically, this study proposes and validates a mechanistic framework linking the “spatial–symbolic system” to place identity. Practically, it advocates a dual conservation approach integrating “ritual and space”, incorporating key spatial nodes and ritual routes into community-based adaptive governance. It also highlights the need to guard against the dilution of authenticity caused by excessive performativity and tourism commercialisation in order to foster community cohesion and the sustainable transmission of intangible cultural heritage.

Text 126494.pdf - Published Version Download (1MB) Official URL or Download Paper: https://frsb.upm.edu.my/upload/dokumen/20260529114...

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